Metalworking is Our JAM How Syracuse's metalsmithing community has flourished on and off campus, even during a pandemic. words by Sarah Dolgin photos by Isabel Madover
D
uring a year dragged down by the hardships of a pandemic, many people are seeking an activity to help deal with their frustrations. For some, this outlet is hammering away at pieces of metal. Across social media platforms like TikTok, content creators have been documenting their experiences working with metal to make jewelry for themselves and others. Some people have turned metalsmithing workshops into date ideas, while others use this art form to release their pent-up stress. We can’t help but wonder, though, what’s so golden about this metalwork trend? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, metalworking is “the act or process of shaping things out of metal.” To Kelly Diemond, the owner of Metal Morphosis Jewelry Studio in Syracuse, N.Y., it’s so much more. “You can melt it down. You can turn it into something totally different. It’s so malleable and versatile, and yet you can harden it, you can shape it basically to any form that you want it to be. So, to me, it’s taking something that’s kind of just raw materials and transforming it into something that is a reflection of what you want to communicate,” she explained.
